Walter "Cooper" Sweet

Funeral services for Walter “Cooper” Sweet will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the First Methodist Church of Claremore. Burial will follow at Oakhill Cemetery in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

Cooper passed away peacefully at his home in Cookson in the early morning hours of September 26, 2025, at the age of 61, after a brief but courageous two-month battle with lung cancer.

Born in Oklahoma City on July 19, 1964, to Walter Jr. and Luella (Bynum) Sweet, Cooper grew up in Okay, Oklahoma, and later Siloam Springs, Arkansas, graduating with the Class of 1982. At 17, he proudly joined the United States Navy, where he would serve four years. While on leave, he came home and married his high school sweetheart, Susan Nichols, on March 20, 1982—a love story that became the foundation for the family they built together.

After his service, Cooper returned to Siloam Springs and began working for the city water department before starting his own business, Sweet Plumbing for which he worked as a plumbing contractor for over 25 years. In 1992, he and Susan moved to Sequoyah, where they raised their children, built friendships, and became part of the community. In 2018, they moved to Cookson, where he spent his later years.

Cooper was happiest outdoors. He loved hunting, fishing, and volunteering his time with the Oklahoma Wildlife Department and other conservation efforts. Recently, he helped plant hundreds of chinquapin oaks, a reflection of his passion for giving back to the land. He treasured time spent with his family—never missing his children’s or grandchildren’s activities—and especially loved their annual trips to the beach in Florida, where boating and snorkeling became cherished traditions. He passed on his love of the outdoors and bow hunting to all of his grandchildren, creating memories that will last for generations.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Sweet Jr. and Luella Marshall, and his sister, Corene Sweet.

Cooper is survived by his wife, Susan Sweet; daughters, Jamie Proffitt and husband Andrew, and Christan Solano and husband Michael; son, Zach Sweet and wife Shelby; grandchildren, Logan, Hunter, Mason, Gracie, McKinzi, Lucille, Zoey, Presley, Izabella, and Walter Caleb; his brother, William Sweet; his sister, Lori Sweet along with many extended family members and friends who will miss him dearly.

Cooper will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend, whose strength, love, and laughter touched countless lives. His family takes comfort knowing that his legacy will live on in the outdoors he loved and the family he so deeply cherished.